Example embodiments of the inventive concept relate to a semiconductor device, and in particular, to magnetic device such as magnetic memory devices having a perpendicular magnetic tunnel junction.
With the increasing use of portable computing devices and wireless communication devices, semiconductor devices may require higher density, lower power, and/or nonvolatile properties. Magnetic memory devices may be able to satisfy the aforementioned technical requirements.
An example data storing mechanism for a magnetic memory device is a tunnel magneto resistance (TMR) effect of a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ). With the TMR effect, the magnetic orientations of the MTJ can be controlled by spin-torque switching. For example, a magnetic memory device with a MTJ have been developed such that an MTJ may have a TMR ratio of several hundred to several thousand percent.